The Path We Take

Each of us in this society, the world and the universe have a role to play. It is up to each one of to realize and understand what our role is and become intimately acquainted. There is a time of searching in our life that brings us to the moment we are at and if we do not heed that call, than we are not living up to our full potential.

This path of each individual impacts all of us in one way or another. All too often in our community, we tend to follow the lead of the person with the biggest megaphone instead of listening to our internal self which is illuminating our path. We give up reason and logic for the hope of someone telling us what we should do, how we should think and where we should go.

We sit ourselves in front of reality shows and non-stop commercials as mind numbed humans hoping to find something meaningful for our life in that moment. In all reality, we are longing for an illusion of what fictitiously is out there for us rather than opening up to that which is within our minds and our bodies.

For much of my life, I was taught to follow those in authority without questioning what they said. Whether it was in the church, in school or at home, I was not "allowed" to question all that was being shoved down my throats. If I dared question things, it was met with quick rebuke and condemnation. My path became that of following blindly what was fed to me because I knew that if I did not do this, life would be difficult at best.

As I grew up and went to college, I struggled with people that were different than me. In my mind, anyone that did not conform to the way I was taught to think was the person that was wrong or misinformed or considered in some cases to be evil and sinful. Some of this may sound very harsh but it was what I experienced. Most of my life was very difficult in connecting with people because even though I would never say it to anyone, I often looked down upon others because they did not believe, act and feel as I did in my life. This is what I was taught from an early age and I knew no different.

It was not until I started into college that I began questioning things more and seeing others act in ways that although they were different than what I would do, I did not see any harm arise from their their views. As I began to evaluate some of the things I grew up with, I started to learn that I did not have all the answers. My way was not the only way and just because I thought I was right, it did not mean that I was the king of my domain. In fact, I began to learn in life that often it is not about who is right or wrong but about what you learn along the way that matters. It is the unfolding of the process and walking the journey that moves us from being a person to becoming a conscious human.

To me, I see our current society doing so much that reminds me of my past. There are groups that are screaming at the top of their lungs trying to proclaim they are right. They use various adjectives and descriptions of the people who do not agree with them. It is not just one side of various issues as it is both sides. It dominates our society and our world.

Everyone is so busy screaming that they have no way to actually hear and listen to the other person. Through our screaming we fail to see the worth and value of each other. It is sad that we are becoming a society that gives little value to who each other is because everything has been replaced with judging what is right or wrong about the other person. Our opinions have become fact and our judgments have become the law of the land.

If we continue down this road we are on, we will wake up one of these days with swords in our hand while we continue to out scream one another. As I found out during my college years, there is much more to be learned and realized by opening ourselves up to all that is around us. Listening to our fellow humans is the way forward. Accepting all that we are taught on the TV and in the media is nothing more than following the masses and closing our minds. We have much more potential than this as humans. We do not need to pull ourselves up to what is being thrown out as the truth and accept it as if it is the only morsel we will ever eat.

We need to open our eyes and question everything we do. We need to search for what life really means and what it means to be human. It is much more than going to a job every day, coming home to a routine and then absorbing all that the media tells us is good and true. It is much more than pushing our minds and bodies so hard that we make ourselves sick as we succumb to what the medical ads and doctors dictate is the most healthiest thing for our ailing body. It is much more than just following some new age line of thinking or sitting in a church pew and agreeing with everything being taught.

No, it isn't easy to stand up and say, "I don't think I quite agree with you." When people are all on one bandwagon, it is not easy to stand alone and say, I see a different way through this. Often it is difficult for us to even convince ourselves that we truly need to go in and examine our innermost thoughts and our own awareness. Much of the time, it feels easier to just go with the flow, not rock the boat and follow that which you've always followed.

As humans, we are meant to evolve and we are meant to be more than we currently are in our life. Trials, difficulties, pains and ailments are meant to get our attention and keep us going inward. These things are difficult beyond measure but without them around us, we may not grow like we are meant to grow in our lives.

If you get only one thing out of what I have written, please go in and search that which is within yourself. What about you makes sense and what doesn't? What ideals do you follow and why? Question yourself extensively and do not accept easy answers when you ask yourself these questions. Make yourself uncomfortable when you search yourself and find out why you truly feel the way you do about life. Look and find that which is a higher truth rather than that which is based upon fears, opinions and jumping on the bandwagon of judgment by others.

For if we all do this, we not only improve ourselves as people, but we evolve ourselves into a higher level of consciousness. By doing this individually, we are then able to offer up much more to those around us and to the world as a whole. We become contributing humans rather than one of the masses and the entire universe benefits. There is so much more out there for each one of us but if we keep our eye sights fixated on that which is comfortable, than we are missing some of the greatest wonders of the universe.

(Above Picture (c) 1/10/07, Miami, Florida)